Lab Research

Tumor necrosis factor receptor & immunity

Tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) may act as a molecular switch and help determine how corals react to environmental stress, including heat stress. We hypothesize that “front-loading” of TNFR expression in corals that have historically been exposed to stressful environmental conditions, is indicative of resilience in corals. TNFR has the potential to be a “coral health biomarker.”

Pocillopora damicornis genomics and evolution

The Indo-Pacific coral, Pocillopora damicornis is a very useful and hardy lab model. We are studying it because of the following reasons:

1. It has wide distribution across the Indo-Pacific and the Red Sea.

2. It’s recognized ability to tolerate environmental stressors that prove insurmountable to many other species.

3. It’s easily accessibly for collection and easy to maintain in the laboratory.

4. Monthly spawning which allows for larvae to be collected all year round. P. damicornisis a weedy coral.

5. It’s a particularly interesting model for disturbance and stress tolerance because it has a weed-like strategy for survival, in that it is one of the first species to re-populate an area of disturbance. This ability to repopulate disturbed areas could make it valuable for investigating diversity and the ability of corals to survive in a changing environment.

Previously, a stress enriched transcriptome was created for Pocillopora damicorniswhich is publicly available at www.PocilloporaBase.org. (Traylor-Knowles, et al, 2011).

We are currently sequencing the genome of P. damicornis from Panama, and data will be made available by January 2018 (if not earlier).

Nematostella vectensis

We are using Nematostella vectensis to understand wound healing and regeneration mechanisms. Commonly known as the Starlet Sea Anemone, it is native to the East coast of the United States, and is found in brackish waters. The entire genome of Nematostella vectensis has been sequenced, making it a model organism to study.

Pocillopora damicornis genetics and evolution

We are studying the cauliflower coral, Pocillopora damicornis because of its wide distribution across the Indo-Pacific and the Red Sea, its recognized ability to tolerate environmental stressors that prove insurmountable to many other species, it is easily accessibly for collection, the relative ease of maintaining it in the laboratory setting, and monthly spawning which allows for larvae to be collected all year round. P. damicornis is a weedy coral and is typically not the dominant reef building coral, except off the western coast of Panama and Costa Rica. Lastly, this coral is particularly interesting model for disturbance and stress tolerance because it has a weed-like strategy for survival, in that it is one of the first species to re-populate an area of disturbance. This ability to repopulate disturbed areas could make it valuable for investigating diversity and the ability of corals to survive in a changing environment.

Previously a stress enriched transcriptome was created for Pocillopora damicornis which is publically available at www.PocilloporaBase.org. The figure to the right depicts the database structure which was used to create PocilloporaBase (Traylor-Knowles, et al, 2011).

Overall Research Interests

We utilize the tools of genomics and cell biology to better inform conservation efforts. As more resources become available, mapping and exploring the cellular pathways involved in coral immunity, stress response, wound healing and resilience are becoming more tractable. Using genomics as a discovery tool, genes and proteins can be targeted, and further investigation using molecular techniques can be done. We aim to develop “biomarkers” and diagnostics to better understand the health of coral reefs.